Hallelujah! The NCAA is finally set to announce the penalties for infractions committed by the University of Miami athletic program, specifically the football team. It's only been around three years in the making.
Excuse me for sounding a tad sarcastic, but it's about damn time!
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I won't sit here and defend a program for making mistakes, which it seems pretty clear UM did make some. But, the NCAA taking this long to review the case and penalize Miami has had far more impact than the decision itself.
During the investigation and penalty ruling process, UM has self imposed penalties on itself by missing three postseason games (two bowls and an ACC title game), and yet that's only part of the losses.
Anyone who's been around the Coral Gables campus and around that football team knows that a dark cloud has been looming. Head Coach Al Golden deserves as lot of credit for keeping the program together. I'm sure recruiting has been tough, and the constant questions get old, yet the Canes are currently ranked 7th in the country.
Still, it can't be said enough that the waiting game has taken a toll. Players and fans missed out on postseason games, and recruits have been left wondering what will happen. No matter how good of a recruiter Golden is, this mess has pushed some top talent away from UM.
Not to mention the school has been the butt of three years worth of jokes.
It's a real shame on the NCAA. They have been exposed during the process as a disorganized, and quite frankly, shady organization. It's made many wonder, and not just those here in Miami, what their real intentions were.
Were they trying to make an example of UM? Did they really have so much crucial information? Or did they just believe the words of a convicted Ponzi schemer in prison?
All of those questions seem pointless now, since this will be over soon and the damage is done.
The ironic part is when all this started the University of Miami looked like a program that was a mess and filled with possible corruption. But now that it'll be over tomorrow, it's the NCAA that looks to be the evil party in this. In the end, I guess some justice was served.
It's about damn time!